The present invention is directed to a conditioning composition which is also for lightening and/or highlighting hair.
It is known within the art to lighten and highlight hair with a peroxygen compound such as hydrogen peroxide. An object of the present invention, is to provide conditioners which contain stable peroxygen compounds and thus can be used as hair lighteners and highlighters as well as conditioners.
Current products on the market for lightening hair come in two forms. The first is a spray leave-on peroxide solution. This product is used occasionally when the hair will be exposed to sunlight after application. Examples of such products include Super Sun-In(copyright), Super With Lemon Sun-In(copyright), and Gradual Sun-In For Men(copyright). Super Sun-In(copyright) has about 1.9% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 4.0. Super With Lemon Sun-In(copyright) has about 3.7% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 4.0. Gradual Sun-In For Men(copyright) has about 3.7% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 3.
The second product for lightening hair is a system which has two components: a bleaching component such as hydrogen peroxide and another component which is a bleach oil. This system requires two containers and/or two bottles, one for each of the components. These products will lighten and highlight the hair, however, often the result is damage that leaves hair in a less than healthy state.
It is known to prepare an unstable composition by combining a bleach with a shampoo or conditioner and immediately thereafter applying the resulting composition to the hair. This is usually done in a hair salon and will result in the immediate lightening of the hair. By contrast, stable conditioner compositions which gradually lighten and highlight the hair and which can easily be used at home are provided by the present invention.
Other publications which relate to the bleaching of hair are as follows:
WO 93/14024 A1 (1993);
JP 87/222585 (1987);
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,043 (1987);
GB 86/03053 (1986);
DE 84/3421358 (1984); and
EP 437,075 A (1990).
The invention relates to a conditioning composition for lightening and highlighting hair which comprises:
(i) a peroxygen compound; and
(ii) a conditioner vehicle which is stable in acid,
said composition having a pH less than 5.
The invention is also directed to a method for lightening and highlighting hair which comprises administering to the hair a lightening and highlighting effective amount of a composition comprising:
(i) a peroxygen compound
(ii) and a conditioner vehicle which is stable in acid
at a pH of less than 5, preferably about 2-4.5 and then rinsing said composition from the hair.
The peroxygen compound makes the conditioner composition a lightening and hair highlighting composition. Peroxygen compounds are not stable in conditioners at pH""s of 5 and above. The composition is made acidic by addition of a acid, such as a mineral acid, like phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid. However, peroxygen compounds can go into conditioners provided that the pH is low enough.
Prior to the present invention, when peroxygen compounds were used to lighten hair, they were often used in bleach oils, or hair coloring compositions.